Orthodontic procedures typically involve repositioning a patient's teeth to a desired arrangement in order to correct malocclusions and/or improve aesthetics. To achieve these objectives, orthodontic appliances such as braces, retainers, shell aligners, and the like can be applied to the patient's teeth by an orthodontic practitioner. The appliance is configured to exert force on one or more teeth in order to effect desired tooth movements. The application of force can be periodically adjusted by the practitioner (e.g., by altering the appliance or using different types of appliances) in order to incrementally reposition the teeth to a desired arrangement.
In some instances, however, current orthodontic appliances may not be able to effectively generate the forces needed to achieve the desired tooth repositioning, or may not afford sufficient control over the forces applied to the teeth. The prior orthodontic approaches may often employ a single appliance shell with homogeneous and/or continuous material properties, which can provide less than ideal movement and comfort. Additionally, the rigidity of some existing appliances may interfere with the ability of the appliance to be coupled to the patient's teeth and may increase patient discomfort.